Nevada to Vote on Marijuana Legalization in 2016

In December, Nevada officials allowed for an initiative to legalize the use of marijuana for recreational use to be placed on the ballot for 2016. Lawmakers had until Saturday, March 14 to vote on the measure, but as they did not the initiative is to remain on the ballot for the 2016 general election to be decided by voters.

The initiative garnered more than double the number of signatures required to put it on the ballot.

Earlier today, the Nevada Assembly missed its last opportunity to vote on Initiative Petition 1, which proposes legalizing, taxing, and regulating marijuana for adults 21 and over. Since the legislature did not approve the measure itself, the measure will appear on the ballot for the 2016 general election. This inaction means Nevadans will have to wait until late next year for the chance to end their state’s destructive and costly prohibition of marijuana.

A 2013 poll showed that 54 percent of Nevadans supported legalizing the recreational use of marijuana for adults aged 21 and over. If the ballot initiative is voted in to law, adults over the age of 21 would be permitted to possess up to one ounce of marijuana.

Nevada has already legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Patients afflicted with a qualifying condition (AIDS, PTSD, cancer, or glaucoma, among others) are allowed to have up to two and a half ounces of cannabis.

Four states have legalized marijuana for recreational use, and nearly half of U.S. states have legalized some form of the drug.